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John Pontz enters his second season as associate head coach with the Mizzou swimming and diving program.

In his first year with the Tigers, Pontz helped Mizzou it program best finishes for both the men's and women's teams. Both squads placed 14th at the NCAA Championships, which matched the men's finish of 2012 and best the men's old best of 19th.

Pontz came to Mizzou from Maryland, where he spent four seasons as both an assistant and associate head coach. With the Terrapins, he helped the squad earn two top-25 NCAA finishes.

From 2004 to 2008, Pontz was an assistant at Northwestern. During his time in Evanston, he helped the Wildcats put together the most successful run in school history, with three top-10 NCAA team finishes, two individual champions and a pair of NCAA records.

Before arriving at Northwestern, Pontz spent the 2001-03 seasons with Arizona State. His coaching responsibilities there included the distance freestylers and the middle-distance stroke group. At ASU, he coached four NCAA top 16 finalists and qualified three women to the NCAA Championships in distance events for the first time at the school in eight years.

While at ASU, he also was the head coach of the local swim club, Sun Devil Aquatics. During his last few years as club coach, he became one of the most successful coaches in the country, putting his club athletes on the following teams: the 2000 U.S. Olympic Team, 2001 and 2002 World Championship Teams, the 2001 Goodwill Games Team (two athletes), the 1999 Pan American Team, the 1999 World University Team and the 1998, 2001 and 2004 National Junior Team.

Originally from Lancaster, Pa., Pontz graduated from Penn State with degrees in finance and exercise and sport science.